Montenegro
8 days · Hiking
From the Bay of Kotor to Lake Skadar – Historical trade and military trails
▲▲▲▲▲Moderate
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Montenegro
8 days · Cycling
Cycling highlights of Montenegro – Mountains & Coastlines
Seventy peaks over two thousand meters, the southernmost fjord of the Mediterranean and Europe's deepest canyon, everything can be found in Montenegro and on a small area like the size of half Wales. You ride on panoramic roads amidst mighty mountain peaks of Durmitor National Park, follow the blue waters of river Tara and finally arrive via the biggest lake of the Balkans, Lake Skadar, at the magically beautiful Bay of Kotor riding all the time through stunning landscapes.
- Length
- 8 days
- Pace
- Moderate
- Activity
- Cycling
- Style
- Guided
- Where
- Bay of Kotor
About this trip
A trip we'd happily do again next month
Seventy peaks over two thousand meters, the southernmost fjord of the Mediterranean and Europe's deepest canyon, everything can be found in Montenegro and on a small area like the size of half Wales. You ride on panoramic roads amidst mighty mountain peaks of Durmitor National Park, follow the blue waters of river Tara and finally arrive via the biggest lake of the Balkans, Lake Skadar, at the magically beautiful Bay of Kotor riding all the time through stunning landscapes.
This is one of our signature cycling journeys in Montenegro. We've ridden it ourselves, in more than one season, and shaped it into something we're genuinely proud of.
You'll be in a small group, led by a local guide who knows the trails, the families along the way, and the best place to stop for lunch. Nothing rushed, nothing scripted.
Your trip
Day by day
Open any day to read it in full, with a photograph from each one. This is how the trip usually flows, not a fixed schedule — distances, climbs and overnight stops are tuned to your group before anything is booked.
Day 1Arrival – Train ride to the mountains
The tour starts at the railway station of Podgorica, there we meet you for instructions and bike fitting. Depending on your international arrival time you take the next train to Mojkovac. This section of the trainline Belgrade-Bar is one of the most beautiful mountain railways in Europe and an unique travel experience not to miss. The train ride takes approx. 2hrs. Overnight in Mojkovac, entrance of Tara Canyon.Read the full day →
The tour starts at the railway station of Podgorica, there we meet you for instructions and bike fitting. Depending on your international arrival time you take the next train to Mojkovac. This section of the trainline Belgrade-Bar is one of the most beautiful mountain railways in Europe and an unique travel experience not to miss. The train ride takes approx. 2hrs. Overnight in Mojkovac, entrance of Tara Canyon.
Day 2Cycling along the Tara River, the deepest canyon of Europe. (65 km/⭧1000m, ⭨ 1000m)
You cycle along the Tara River into Europe's longest and deepest canyon, where the rock walls come closer and closer to finally open up a panorama of the river. Right at the historically infamous Tara bridge you meet our transfer which shuttles the final ascent to NP Durmitor.nnOvernight in ZabljakRead the full day →
You cycle along the Tara River into Europe's longest and deepest canyon, where the rock walls come closer and closer to finally open up a panorama of the river. Right at the historically infamous Tara bridge you meet our transfer which shuttles the final ascent to NP Durmitor.nnOvernight in Zabljak
Day 3Cycling in across the peaks of Montenegro - National Park Durmitor (55 km/⭧900 m, ⭨ 1600 m)
The journey continues to the magnificent National Park Durmitor with more than 25 peaks of over 2500 meters, where glaciers have carved a landscape of desolate expanses and deep canyons in a scarsely populated agricultural area. Soon the landscape will be wooded and the road winds its way downhill to lake Piva. This one of the most beautiful cycling sections of Montenegro.nnOvernight at lake Piva in Pluzine.Read the full day →
The journey continues to the magnificent National Park Durmitor with more than 25 peaks of over 2500 meters, where glaciers have carved a landscape of desolate expanses and deep canyons in a scarsely populated agricultural area. Soon the landscape will be wooded and the road winds its way downhill to lake Piva. This one of the most beautiful cycling sections of Montenegro.nnOvernight at lake Piva in Pluzine.
Day 4Cycling to Niksic (60 km/⭧800 m, ⭨ 900 m)
The beautiful lake Piva is framed by high peaks and we cycle through a dramatic landscape characterized by running, stationary and falling water. We make a detour to the Orthodox monastery Piva, where time has stood still since the 16th century. The ultimate goal is Montenegro's second largest city, Niksic.nnMeet your transfer (1,5hrs) to Cetinje, the old royal capital. Overnight in Cetinje.Read the full day →
The beautiful lake Piva is framed by high peaks and we cycle through a dramatic landscape characterized by running, stationary and falling water. We make a detour to the Orthodox monastery Piva, where time has stood still since the 16th century. The ultimate goal is Montenegro's second largest city, Niksic.nnMeet your transfer (1,5hrs) to Cetinje, the old royal capital. Overnight in Cetinje.
Day 5Cycle across villages of historic Montenegro and Lake Skadar
Beautiful panoramas, small villages and vineyards are the ingredients of this cycling highlight in Montenegro which takes you back to the times when Montenegro was a kingdom. This is quite challenging section but take your time and if you should need support, we are nearby. This cycling ends right in the vineyard of an artisan winery. Rewind and reward yourself with a glass of Vranac wine and local food. No worries, we transfer you back to Cetinje (25min).nnRemark: There is also the option (for a surcharge) to bridge 24km/+350m with a 2hrs boat ride – where you can enjoy the biggest lake of the Balkans in full. Overnight in Cetinje.Read the full day →
Beautiful panoramas, small villages and vineyards are the ingredients of this cycling highlight in Montenegro which takes you back to the times when Montenegro was a kingdom. This is quite challenging section but take your time and if you should need support, we are nearby. This cycling ends right in the vineyard of an artisan winery. Rewind and reward yourself with a glass of Vranac wine and local food. No worries, we transfer you back to Cetinje (25min).nnRemark: There is also the option (for a surcharge) to bridge 24km/+350m with a 2hrs boat ride – where you can enjoy the biggest lake of the Balkans in full. Overnight in Cetinje.
Day 6Cycling from the old royal capital Cetinje to the Bay of Kotor ( up to 50 km/⭧850 m, ⭨ 1500 m)
Your tour starts right in the historical center of Cetinje. At first you climb to National Park Lovcen, which is later rewarded with the epic downhill along the 24 serpentine road to the Bay of Kotor right to the shores of the Adriatic sea. Remark: There is an optional shuttle to the top of Lovcen National Park for surcharge so you brige 17km/+700mnnOvernight in KotorRead the full day →
Your tour starts right in the historical center of Cetinje. At first you climb to National Park Lovcen, which is later rewarded with the epic downhill along the 24 serpentine road to the Bay of Kotor right to the shores of the Adriatic sea. Remark: There is an optional shuttle to the top of Lovcen National Park for surcharge so you brige 17km/+700mnnOvernight in Kotor
Day 7The highlights of the Bay of Kotor (47 km/⭧200 m,⭨ 200 m )
At the end of your bike trip you can explore the picturesque sights in the Bay of Kotor. You won’t miss the baroque sailor's town of Perast with its two church islands but there is much more to see! Once again, you can count on a beautiful route, directly along the sea. Overnight in KotorRead the full day →
At the end of your bike trip you can explore the picturesque sights in the Bay of Kotor. You won’t miss the baroque sailor's town of Perast with its two church islands but there is much more to see! Once again, you can count on a beautiful route, directly along the sea. Overnight in Kotor
Day 8Farewell and departure
After breakfast transfer to departure airport. OR optional extensionRead the full day →
After breakfast transfer to departure airport. OR optional extension
Want this written up for your dates — distances, daily climb and where you would sleep? Ask us for the full 8-day plan. We send it before you commit to anything.
What's included
Everything that's covered
- ✓7 nights accommodation in double/twin room
- ✓7 breakfasts
- ✓Luggage transfer
- ✓Orientation meeting (self-guided)
- ✓GPX-Tracks
- ✓Maps and roadbook
- ✓Local mobile phone, service line 24/7
- ✓Transfers according to the itinerary
Not included
What you'll arrange yourself
- —Single room supplement
- —Solo traveller’s supplement
- —Bike rental
- —Airport arrival/departure transfer
- —Riding gear
- —Lunches and dinner
- —Drinks
- —Entrance fees to National Parks, sights
What it's like to travel with us
Even better than we expected! Beautiful countries with warm and welcoming people. Both Angelica and Drazen were absolutely fantastic to work with. They both covered ever fine detail of the trip and Drazen was there to take calls even into the evening. Bikes were great also. Got a flat and they fixed it for us. The accommodations were always wonderful with some stays in historical fortresses. A trip of a lifetime that we will always have fond memories of.
Before you travel
What you can hold us to
We have walked and ridden every route we sell
Nobody at 3E sells a trip from a map. The routes come from the people who scouted them, and when we change a stage it is because one of us has been back out on it.
We are a Montenegrin team, not an agent abroad
The office is in Podgorica. When something shifts on the ground — a closed pass, a washed-out track, a guesthouse that changed hands — we hear it the same week, not the following season.
We grade honestly, even when it loses us the booking
If a trip is harder than you want, we will say so and offer you a different one. Being talked into the wrong grade is the fastest way to spoil a week in the mountains.
Self-guided here actually works
Self-guided is most of what we do, and it is built to be self-sufficient: routes you can follow, luggage moved between stays, and a local number that is answered while you are out walking or riding.
Nothing is booked until the plan is right
We write the day-by-day first and send it to you — distances, climbs, where you sleep. You change it as often as you like before any money moves.
Twenty years in, we still run our own trips
3E has been building active journeys in Montenegro since the mid-2000s, back when almost nobody was. The trips are still designed and run by the same small team.
Pace
Moderate
Full days with real climbing in them. Nothing technical and nothing exposed, but there will be sustained ascents, uneven paths or long descents, and you will feel the day in your legs by dinner. On the cycling trips an e-bike flattens most of this if you would rather it did.
Suits
People who walk or ride regularly at home and are happy to be out for most of the day.
Probably not for
Anyone who wants short days, or who is not currently walking or riding much — say so and we will grade you down rather than sell you this.
Not sure this is your pace? Tell us how far you like to walk or ride in a day and we will tell you honestly whether this trip fits — including when the answer is no, or when a different trip of ours suits you better. Ask us about the pace.
Plan this trip
Tell us a little, we'll send you a draft
Roughly when, who's travelling and what kind of pace you like — that's all we need. We'll reply within 1–2 days with a draft itinerary and a price. Nothing is booked until you're happy.
Or WhatsApp us directly: +382 67 636364
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